Fire check



Aug. 30, 1955 H. M. HANSON F'IRE CHECK 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 15;1955 INVENTOR. H. M. HANSON Aug. 30, H M HANSON FIRE CHECK Filed Oct.15, 1955 s Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 3

INVENTOR. H. M. HANSON 30, 1955 H. M. HANSON 2,716,419

FIRE CHECK Filed Oct. 15, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. H. M. HANSONUnited States Patent CHE K Hal-twig Millard Hanson, Baltimore, Md.,assignor to TiieC. M. Kemp Manufacmring Company, B ltimore,

Th ptc en invention e a es to an imp o em nt in fi chec s w i a eadapted to b t ll d n pipe. i es used to convey mixtures of gases orgasand from a point of mixing or generation to a point of consumption orburning.

One ofthe objects of the present invention is to pro.- vide a fire checkhaving a self-closing valve, in which all of the linkage for opening andclosing the valve and for resetting the check is wholly, enclosed Withinthe casing and an of the check setting and testing levers are located onthe outside ofthe casing.

Another object of the invention is ,to simplify the linkage required forthe operation of the cheek.

'Another object of the invention is to provide a fuse holding meanswhich is separately mounted on the casing and which may be easily andquickly removed for replacing a melted fuse.

A further object of the invention is to provide a signal associated withone of the outside levers connected with the valve closing mechanism forindicating the position of the valve and the condition of the checksetting.

With these and other objects in view, the general principle of theinvention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described inthe detailed description that follows together with the manner in whichthe improved fire check is constructed including itsuses and advantages.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the fire check'showing the control arms.

Figure 2 is a sectional view of the same,=taken along line 2+2 of Figure1.

Figure 3.-is a top plan-view similar to that shown in Figure 1, takenalong the line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view partly in elevation'and partly insection, showing the fluid control valve in closed position, with itsopening. lever.

Figure 5 is a sectional view similar to Figure 4showing the fluidcontrol valve in open position.

Figure 6 is an enlargedfragmentaryview partly in section of the signalmeans on line'66 of Figure 1, showing the signal in normal non-signalingposition.

Figure 7 is a similar view of the signal means released to its signalingposition.

Figures 8 and 9 are top fusible link member.

Figure 10 is an inverted plan view of the mounting for the fusible link.

Figure 11 is a fragmentary view looking upwardly from the line 1111 ofFigure 2 showing the attachment of the fusible link to the mounting.

Referring now to thedrawings, the fire check comprises a casing 1 havingan inlet opening 2 and an outlet 'opeuing 3. The casing is subdividedinto three general ccrnpartments, one adjacent each of the openings anda central compartment lying between the tw end compartments. Adjacentthe inlet opening there is provided a self-closing valve 4 and acompression spring 5 for urging the valve toward the valve seat 6, whichin turn plan views of the fuse, or

2,716,419 vPa n ed A s- .3 D55 is located within the comp rtment wall 7epal'ating the compartment adjacent the'intake opening and centr l ompament; The val is riednpqn valve stems, one .end of which is slidablyreceivable within a bore 9, located withina cap 10. The cap 10 is intoanopening in the casing opposite the valve seat. The opposite end of thevalve stem 8uextends-through; and elow he wan ng f h valve ea and iprovide with a bearing surface on its inner end. PQSitiQned at" rightangl and ta one s of the o gitud na ax s of ,the valve stem 8 is arotatable shaft 11 extending fromfa point within the casing outwardlythrough a hearing in On 9f the ca i g- Th nner nd f. th aft erm nates ata poirit adjacent the inner end of the valvestem. About the Shaft P rton extend ng thrc the M s n and cover 12 is a packing 13 and a pa g nut14m preventing the escape of the gas mixture from the casingOn'the'outer er d'of the shaft 11 is a lever 15 'keyed'thereto andsecuredby'a set screw 16, On. the end of the shaft 1 1 is an arm havinga shoe 1,7, whih 5, keyed thereto and secured bythe set screw 18, thesame as lever 15at the other end ofshaft 11; The shoe is positionedftocontact theinner face of the valve stem 8 for the purposeof moving thevalve stem outwardly through the bore 9to unseat the valve 4, andagainst the pressure of the compression spring 5' by moving the lever.15 in the direction of the arrow 19 shown in Figure 1. 'When theleveris moved in the opposite direction the shoe 17 is in'the positionas shown in Figure 4, the valve being forced into theseat by thecompression springS to close the valve. Therefore, the fluid controlvalve 4 may, be manually opened by the lever 15 located on the outsideof the casing, to set it, and to ascertain thatit is properly working;Also fixedly secured by set screw 2') to the shaft 11 is an arm 21,which is provided with a yoke 22 which when' conn'ec'ted with a fuses;fusible link23, is adapted'to hold the shaft 11 in a predeterminedposition in which the shoe 17 by pressureon stem 8 compresses the spring5 and holds the valve 4 open in the position shown in Figure '5.

Also extending outwardly through the casing is a shaft 24, which isrotatably supported withina bearing 25 in the small. cover member 26 onlargercov 'er' 12, the shaft 24'beingparallel with the'shaft 11. s

As stated hereinbefore, the casing is divided into three compartments;one connecting with the inlet opening 2 of-t'he casing and'one connectedwiththe outlet opening 3, while the third compartment is locatedcentrally between the two. The compartment connected'with the inletopening in which the valve 4 is located is separated from thecentralcompartment by the wall 7 The compartment connected with the outletopening 3 is separated from the central compartmentby the wall 27. Thewall 27 has located therein a relatively large threaded opening andwithin the opening'there is provided a flame interrupting screen 28.This flame interrupting screen 28 consists primarily of one or moreclosely held perforated plates and extends throughout the only openingwithin-the wall 27 between the two compartments.

. Referring again to the shaft 24, there is provided an enlargedheadmember 29 fast thereto having a recessed portion'30 and a centralthreaded opening 31 see Figure 10, for receiving'a stud 32 for clampingthe fuseor fusible member 23, into-the proper location to; engage theyoke 22:when thearm 2'1 is moved to a position in whiela the valve isopened.

The shaft 24 is also provided with packing and a packiug nut '33 insmall cover member 26 to' prevent theescape of gas about the shaft.

Fixedly securedto the outer end'of the shaft 24- is a lever 3.4 by whichthe shaft may be rotatedthrough. a predetermined arc. The small covermember 26 in which the shaft 24 is mounted is held to the casing cover12 by the studs 35 and the large cover 12 is held to the casing by studs36.

As mentioned hereinbefore the fusible member is carried bythe head 29located on the inner end of the shaft 24. The construction of thefusible member 23 is illustrated best in Figures 8 and 9. This fuse 23is made up of mating members 37 and 38 which are fastened together bysolder, or other suitable fusible materials 39, along the contactingedges of the mating sections of the members. This fusible material willbe of suflicient strength to normally keep the spring in compressedposition and the valve open, but in the presence of a flame it willmelt, releasing the spring which will act to close the valve.

When the fuse member 23 is secured to the head 29 it rests on therecessed surface and will swing with the rotation of the shaft 24. Thefusible member 23 has a pin in its swinging end to engage yoke 22.

There is provided on the small cover 26 and adjacent extension 41 of thelever 34 a pair of spaced stops .42 and 43. The shoe 17 is of suchlength and so placed upon the shaft 11 that when the lever 15 is pressedto its limit in the direction of the arrow 19 that the valve will beopened. During the movement of the lever 15 to open the valve, theextension 41 of the lever 34 must be in contact with the stop 43, toremove the fusible member from the arc of rotation of the yoke 22.However, after the lever 15 has been moved to its full extent, the arm34 is moved to nearly contact the extension with stop 42 at whichposition the pin 40 carried by the fuse member 23 will be engaged by theyoke 22 at the swinging end of the arm 21, and prevent the shaft 11 fromrotating and closing the valve. The lever 15 is held firmly, to hold thevalve open, until the fusible member 23 and its pin 40 are in properposition, then the lever 15 is slowly released and the yoke 22 engagesthe pin 40. In this position the extension 41 is nearly against stop 42.

Extending outwardly from the side of lever arm 15 is a U-shaped bracket44 having a pin 45 extending through the outer fork thereof. Pivotablysupported upon the pin 45 is a flat disk-like signaling member 46,preferably painted in a bright color, such as red. As long as the lever15 is held in the position shown in Figure l, the signal member 46 is ina downward position as shown in Figures 1 and 6, but if the lever 15 ismoved in the opposite direction as shown in Figure 7, by the action ofthe spring 5 in the closing of the valve, the signal will be elevated bya pin 49 projecting on the cover 12, which is adapted to contact theangular portion 48 of the signal member 46, which is positioned belowthe pivot pin 45. The portion 47- of the signaling disk is ofsubstantially the same form as the portion 48 and is for positivelylowering the signaling disk when the lever has been moved to open thesupply valve 4 by contacting the pin 49 from the opposite side. The disklevers 47 and 48 project from the disk like the legs of an inverted V.

In order that the flame interrupting means may be easily replaced, thereis provided an opening into which a plug, or cap 50 is fitted.

In operation, the device is first placed in a line carrying aninflammable gas mixture flowing in the direction of the arrows in.Figure l. The valve being open as shown in Figure 5 and being held inthat position by the fusible link 23, the gas mixture will flow into thecompartment adjacent the intake opening 2, through the valve openinginto the central or intermediate chamber, up through the flameinterrupting means 28, into the compartment adjacent the outlet 3 andout into the line. As long as the temperature of the gas is not above acertain point the fusible link will remain whole and hold the valve openagainst the force of the spring 5. However, if there is a back fire inthe line leading from the outlet 3, sometimes referred to as a flashback, the flame will enter full the outlet passage and pass into thecompartment adjacent thereto, in which the fusible link 23 is located.The composition 39 is melted and the link 23 separates, which releasesthe shaft 11. By the action of the spring 5, the valve is instantlyclosed and through the rotation of shaft 11 the handle 15 is movedtoward the pin 49, whereupon the lever 48 contacts the pin 49 and liftsthe disk 46 to extend it upwardly as shown in Figure 7. This signalindicates that the fuse has melted and the gas mixture has been cut-offin the line and at the same time the burning gas mixture will be stoppedby the flame interrupting means 28, as the flame tends to enter thecentral compartment. After the lines have been cleared a new fuseelement must be inserted to again hold the valve in opened position.

fuse, a new fuse is secured to the head member 29 and the other end ofthe fuse is removed from the compartment, after which the cover 26 isreplaced. When the cover is being replaced the extension 41 of lever 34is turned to contact stop 43, after which the valve is reset in openposition as previously described.

While a particular structure showing the invention has been illustratedand described, it is not intended as a limitation, the invention beingdefined by the claims.

What is claimed as new and is desired to be secured by Letters Patentis:

1. In a fire check for combustible fuel pipe lines, the combination of acasing having inlet and outlet passages, a self-closing valve within thecasing between said passages, a first shaft within the casing extendingto the outside thereof and a lever on the outside end thereof, a leveron said shaft within the casing having one arm connected with the valve,a fuse link lever on said shaft within the casing, a second shaft withinthe casing extending to the outside thereof, a fuse link within thecasing connected to and rotating with said second shaft, and means onthe outside end of the second shaft to rotate the same, said fuse linkat its swinging end upon relative rotation of said shafts, interlockingwith said fuse link lever to hold said valve open.

2. The fire check of claim 1 including a stop on the outside of thecasing to indicate the inner position of the fuse link swing.

3. In a device as claimed in claim 1 in which the outside lever carriedon the first mentioned shaft is provided with a flat disk member pivotedto the lever and adapted to lie parallel with the casing when the leveris in position to open the valve and means on the disk and casing toraise the disk perpendicular to the casing when the lever is in positionto close the valve.

4. In a device .as claimed in claim 1 in which the fuse link supportingshaft is mounted on a detachable cover member, whereby the fuse linksupporting and rotating mechanism may separately be removed from thecasing without disturbing the remaining elements of the fire check.

5. A fire check for combustible fuel lines comprising in combination, acasing having inlet and outlet passages, a self-closing valve in theinlet passage including a compression spring within the casing to closethe valve, operating means to open the valve, including a rotatableshaft extending from a point within the casing outwardly through oneside of the casing, a lever fixedly secured to the outer end of theshaft to rotate the same, and means connected to the inner end of theshaft to open the valve 3 as the shaft is rotated, a fuse link engaginglever on the shaft, a fuse link, a support shaft in the outletcompartment having means on the inner end thereof to fixedly support thefuse link at one end, the shaft extending outwardly through the casingand being rotatable to manually connect the fuse link other end to thefuse link engaging lever to normally hold the valve in open positionagainst the pressure of the compression spring.

6. A fire check for combustible fuel lines having in combination, acasing having inlet and outlet passages, a self-closing valve includinga guiding stem and a compression spring for urging the valve to a closedposition within the casing between the openings, a valve operating shafthaving its axis perpendicular to the valve stem and parallel with theface of the valve, the shaft extending from a point within the casingoutwardly through one side thereof, a lever fixedly secured to theportion of the shaft extending outside the casing, an arm fixedlysecured to the inner end of the shaft; the arm having a shoe thereonadapted to apply pressure'to the valve stem for urging the valve to anopen position upon rotation of the shaft by the lever, a fuse link, afuse link engaging lever fixedly secured on said shaft and locatedwithin the casing and between the outer lever and the arm adapted toengage with one end of said fuse link for holding the shaft in positionto maintain the valve open, means for rotatably supporting the fuse linkcomprising a second shaft extending from a point within the casing to apoint without the casing and parallel with the first named shaft andhaving a lever on the outer end portion thereof, a holding and clampingmechanism on the inner end of the fuse link 6 supporting shaft forreceiving and holding one end of said fuse link, the fuse link beingmovable by its shaft and outer lever to engagement with the fuseengaging lever carried by the first named shaft when the said firstnamed shaft last named lever to hold the valve open, pivotingmeansconnected with said rocker shaft without said casing to lie in oneposition when the valve is open and means on the casing cooperating withsaid pivoting means to swing the same to another position when the valveis closed.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS VanHorn June 29, 1937 Madden Sept. 11, 1951

